Insurrection
by Lady Rheena
Summary: Second of the Antecedent series. AU. The Doctor is gone, but all may not be lost for Rose and the others. An old friend returns to help, led by an impossible message, and the fight for the future of humanity's soul begins.
1. Part 1

Title: Insurrection

Author: Lady Rheena

Rating: T (some violence and non-kiddie friendly stuff)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Evidently. No money. Don't sue. Please.

Notes: I am primarily a TNS Who fan and won't try to convince anyone otherwise. Any muff-ups I therefore make with TOS continuity can just be considered part of the AU definition. The Antecedent Series was written midway through TNS season two, and begins just after the events of _Tooth and Claw_.

**Insurrection**

**Part 1**

'Ah, _crap_.'

Captain Jack Harkness clambered out of the pile of junk and assorted parts he'd appropriated as a very improvised and makeshift timeship, fetching the nearest bulkhead panel a hard kick. He could clearly remember being in more serviceable garbage trawlers. At any rate, now he was stuck in this bemusing and befuddling century so he'd better find a ride of some kind because that heap wasn't going to go anywhere else, and there was nothing in this time period he could use to repair it with, let alone refuel it.

'Now then…' he turned around and flashed a winning smile at the woman standing nearby with a small child holding onto her hand. Ah. Crash witnesses. Oh well, nothing a little of the trademark Jack charm couldn't resolve. 'Morning, ma'am!'

'Are you an alien?' the child asked him matter-of-factly.

'Oh no. Definitely not.' He looked what he assumed to be its mother up and down. Nice curves. '_Definitely_ not.'

'Then how come you have a spaceship?'

'That's not a spaceship. That's a- ah-' he groped for a suitable mode of alternative transportation for the time period '-that's a Ferrari.'

The child boggled at him so he turned his attention to the woman instead, holding out a hand.

'Captain Jack Harkness, ma'am. I wonder, could you help me out? Got a bit of an awkward land- uh- parking situation here. Am I in London?'

She nodded, eyes still fixed on the wreck.

'Oh, good! And this is 2006?'

Another brainless nod.

'Then do you think you could kindly provide me with directions to the Powell Estate?'

That seemed to bring her out of the stupor and she pointed vaguely.

'Thanks,' he said with another smile, and slinging his jacket over one shoulder strode off. The ambiguity of the route necessitated inquiries with two more pedestrians, but within half an hour he found himself standing in a small square surrounded by medium-rise blocks of flats on three sides. After consultation with a trio of boys playing a ball game he couldn't quite remember the name of, he made for the middle block and ascended the stairs. Then it was a simple matter of number counting until he reached number forty-eight, and rapped on the door. Or was that button a bell? Never mind, the door was opening to reveal a heavily-made up face belonging to a middle-aged woman in a tracksuit.

'Who're you?'

'Captain Jack Harkness, ma'am.' In with the handshake and the winning smile. 'I'm looking for a miss Rose Tyler, is she around?'

He was given a disbelieving look up and down and then her voice abruptly shifted to a bellow.

'_Rose_! _Some bloke at the door for you_!'

'Who is it, Mum?' Ah, that was a familiar voice.

'I dunno, some bloke. Looks like a biker.'

'A what?' Rose appeared at the door and her jaw dropped. '_Jack_?'

'Rose!' He grinned. 'What, no hug?'

'Oh, _god_-' she threw her arms around him '-I thought you were dead!'

'You _left_ me for dead,' he pointed out reproachfully.

'Well we thought- I'm sorry-'

'Hey, all forgiven!' He treated her to one of his broadest grins. 'No matter. I got the message and I got here- although getting _not_ here is gonna be a problem so I hope I get a ride! So where is he?'

'He? Message?'

'Probably sent it on the sly, huh? Nice surprise for _you_!' But her face had fallen. 'Oh, come _on_, Rose. Where is he? The big guy? The _Doctor_?'

'Oh my god.'

'I think you'd better come in,' the other woman- Rose's mother?- said to him. 'I'll put the kettle on, shall I love?'

'Thanks, Mum.'

So Jack found himself led into a little apartment, typical early twenty-first century, and sat down on a well-worn couch. Rose seemed strangely reluctant to talk so he found her mother, Jackie, providing a non-stop gabble of nonsensical commentary about how it was a change to meet a nice, polite young man rather than get invaded by monsters, which was more the usual fare, and now she thought of it she remembered Mickey mentioning him when he got back from Cardiff, and he hadn't seemed too impressed but then what did he know, bless him, and would Jack like sugar with his tea?

'Could you give us a minute, Mum?' Rose asked when the steaming cups had been set on the coffee table.

'Sure, love, I'll just go put that washing in the airing cupboard…'

'Rose, _what_ is going on?' Jack demanded once the older woman had quit the room.

'It's the Doctor,' she said quietly.

'So I gathered. What happened, did he ditch you too?'

'No.' She looked away, and when she glanced back there were tears in her eyes. Jack was taken thoroughly aback by this and a little adrift of how to react.

'Whoa, girl. What _happened_?'

'He's dead,' she said, her voice breaking. 'The Doctor's dead. He was-' then, as if by rote, she was hurriedly rattling off some details about an Institute and a rebel faction and gunshots and a whole bunch of stuff, but Jack didn't hear most of it. Blind rage was clouding his senses.

'When?' he asked as she paused for breath.

'Two months.'

'Two _months_?' Basic sense penetrated the cloud of fury and he shook his head. 'No, no way. It can't have been that long.'

'Jack, don't-'

'Nobody else could do it! More importantly, nobody else _would_ do it! It doesn't make sense, Rose, I'm telling you!'

'What do you mean?'

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wad of psychic paper.

'Because if the Doctor is dead, then who the hell sent me this?'

Rose's eyes widened. Printed in bold lettering that was, to those who'd seen it, unmistakeably the Doctor's handwriting, were the words _Find Rose._


	2. Part 2

Title: Insurrection

Author: Lady Rheena

Rating: T (some violence and non-kiddie friendly stuff)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Evidently. No money. Don't sue. Please.

Notes: I am primarily a TNS Who fan and won't try to convince anyone otherwise. Any muff-ups I therefore make with TOS continuity can just be considered part of the AU definition. The Antecedent Series was written midway through TNS season two, and begins just after the events of _Tooth and Claw_.

**Insurrection**

**Part 2**

Freyja was barely breathing heavily by the time she reached the top of the ridge. Rigorous physical and survival training was part and parcel of Traveller schooling at the Institute Academy, and although she was sweating heavily in the midday Italian sun she was still nowhere near the limits of her endurance. Her timeship was parked a little way off in the foothills, the chameleon circuit having rendered it to all outside appearances a conventional boulder, but she was still risking serious disciplinary action by neglecting even the most basic camouflage protocol for herself, still openly in her black and maroon Traveller's uniform. But in all sensible consideration a mysteriously dressed stranger would be easier to explain away in ancient Rome than a young native woman out and about in the small hours of the morning with only the first rays of predawn light creeping over the distant mountains. If all else failed she'd do something technological and pretend she was a messenger of the gods.

'_It's a risky business, sneaking off on unofficial vortexes to follow up these leads_,' the holographic Rose Tyler had told her. '_If the Board catches you-_'

'I'm overwrought! Two of my best friends died and my lifelong hero was murdered as good as in front of me!'

'_And I don't think the Doctor would approve of what you're doing either_!'

'Well if it wasn't for the bastards I'm trying to track down, he'd be here in person to voice his objections, wouldn't he?' Freyja had sniped back bitterly. 'Besides, I know someone else who would and _does_ approve of my technique.'

'_My younger self is hardly an impartial judge!_'

'And I wouldn't have thought you would be! Or has three centuries of holographic living turned your soul to circuitry?' She'd stormed out without waiting for a response, furious at herself, at Rose, at the hologram, at the Institute, at the universe in general.

_What kind of a world is it where heroes can die_? Her own words came back to haunt her and she shook her head, vaulting to the next outcropping and then dropping to her belly to avoid the wandering gaze of the sentry at the entrance to the temple. A more pressing question was the Institute's lack of action about the matter; no investigation, no ident check on the murderers who _must_ have been caught on the internal cameras, just a perfunctory funeral service for Asha and Boz, and no mention of the 'renowned historical figure' who in their fardling pea-brained records had _already_ been dead. So it had been left to Freyja, Cal, Will and Nat, with the sometime assistance of holo-Rose, to launch their own covert enquiry. A lead on a hidden file had brought Freyja here and now, but what she was about to find she couldn't even begin to imagine. Some stronghold of the murderous bluecoats who'd lasered the Doctor beyond all hope of recovery or regeneration and then killed the two people trying to protect him? The city of Rome on ancient Earth was a good hiding place for a criminal syndicate.

Her next task was to find it.

She timed her run to spring from the ledge onto the temple roof just as the sentry turned his back. Her boots cushioned the impact and since she managed to miss any loose tiling her landing was as soundless as the rest of her passage. Now securely out of sight of the ground below, she hastened across to make the easier jump to the next roof, climbing a partition to enter the slave quarters which served the temple's priests. Checking her wrist scanner, she found considerable harmonic readings coming from the third shack on the left and so scrambled carefully across to eavesdrop. Unfortunately the temple slaves had rather better accommodation than the usual, and the roofs were also tiled. After a moment's hesitation she reached for her thigh pocket and pulled out what was now undoubtedly her most precious possession; the sonic screwdriver that had once been the Doctor's. She'd not had a chance to give it back to him after he'd thrown it to her, telling her to seal the door back in the Institute's museum, and after everything that had happened Rose had insisted that she keep it. At first she'd been almost afraid to use it- it was_ his_, after all- but the temptation had been too much, and now she found the little gadget far too useful. At times she wondered how she'd ever coped without one.

A few adjustments and she'd loosened a tile enough to let the majority of the interior noise out. Pressing one ear down onto the spot, she squinted in concentration. Damn! It sounded like the meeting was breaking up. And there were only two voices; a man that she didn't recognise, and a woman.

'What about our little investigators?' the man was saying. 'They're getting too close in places. Trained too damn well!'

'Don't worry,' the woman said cockily. 'If they get _that_ close, it'll be the last thing they do. I'll see to it myself. How go the tests?'

'Slowly. Minimal co-operation from…the subject. Mind you, once we boxed him there wasn't a lot he could do about it.'

'Is he aware?'

'Only peripherally. Although he stopped screaming a week ago, which was an interesting development.'

'_Stopped_ screaming? Now that is odd. Resignation?'

'Possibly. It doesn't matter. Lab says they're starting to make progress. Slow is still better than zero.'

'Absolutely. Is this all there is to relay?'

'That's everything, yes. Remember, _absolute_ secrecy. You can't blow your cover. You're still the most valuable asset we have.'

'And don't I know it!'

Freyja sat up, frowning. The cheerful lilt in that female voice was tantalisingly familiar. And what the devil were these _tests_ they were discussing? She pushed the consideration aside and slithered along the row to follow the dark-suited figure- another Traveller in uniform- along the street. A grapple line shot up and then the woman was on the roof of the far set of shacks, but they were so close together it was an easy matter to sneak a leap across. Keeping a low profile, Freyja followed her back up onto the Temple roof. The sun had just begun to rise, which could easily blow her cover if she was spotted, but she _had_ to know who it was.

The figure had paused now as if surveying the city quarter. Freyja flattened herself to the tiles, her heart beating rapidly. She felt for her sidearm. A couple of months ago the thought of killing one of her own, even a bluecoat, would have been repugnant to her, but if this scum had anything to do with the Doctor's murder then she had no qualms about it at all. Now, why wasn't the woman moving?

'You always were a good sneak, Freyja.'

_Fardles_! How could she possibly have known she was there?

'Of course, you marked much higher than I did in the stealth exercises. In everything, come to think of it. Which is why outfoxing you was _so_ much fun!' The woman turned and Freyja's jaw dropped. She scrambled to her feet, momentarily unsteady in shock.

'_Asha_? But you-'

'Died! I know.' Asha grinned, her teeth showing whitely against her now-tanned skin. 'A few squibs and a prize-winning performance. Makes you _sick_, doesn't it? You may have scored higher on all the final exams, Frey, but I still bested you where it counts.'

Freyja felt shock drain away to be replaced by cold fury as realisation dawned.

'You betrayed us,' she said, wanting to hear the words out loud, to make them real.

'Yup! So hand me my thirty pieces of silver. I knew you and the rest of our happy little classmates would start up a little clandestine nose-poking. Glad I didn't have to be disappointed. I _hate_ that.'

'Boz?' Freyja asked through gritted teeth.

'Oh, I hadn't planned for him to get involved.' A shrug. 'Had to pop him one when he started to blurt over the audio. Still, added a nice little bit of dramatic credibility. Although it was pure luck he had the good grace to expire before he told you the full thing. I'm a lucky gal on that front!'

'The Doctor,' Freyja hissed. '_You gave them the Doctor_.'

'Come _on_, Frey. You haven't asked how I knew you were following me yet. One thing at a time.' Another sunny grin that made Freyja's blood boil. 'I read up. Historical files say that on this date the sentries of this particular temple witnessed a- how did they put it?- a battle between goddesses. Plucky as Nat is, I knew she'd never have the guts to face me down. And even a Roman couldn't mistake Will or our Cal for a girl, which left you. I did wonder, I admit, about little miss Tyler, but let's face it, she couldn't take on a plucked chicken and win without her precious pet Time Lord-' she stopped as Freyja whipped out her sidearm and aimed between her eyes. 'You're gonna _shoot_ me, Freyja? Your own classmate?'

'You gave them the Doctor,' Freyja spat at her. 'You set us all up, you set him up, and you practically _gift-wrapped_ him for them to tear him apart! How long did you plan that?'

'Oh, it was a spur of the moment thing. I mean, I've been in the inner circle since just before I graduated- they've a knack for spotting the candidates who aren't over-idealistic dreamers- and then you arrive in the museum and just _drop_ the guy in my _lap_!' Asha laughed. 'How could I resist? You made it so _easy_! I just sent off the call while I was off getting the sequencer. Easy! So _damned_ easy!' Suddenly her own gun was aimed between Freyja's eyes. 'So be honest, Frey. You seem pretty ready to kill for him. Are you ready to die for him?'

'I'm not planning on dying before you, Asha.'

'Then you may have to change your plans. Oh, come _on_.' Asha rolled her eyes. 'Shooting is so inglorious an end. I should know-' her wink made Freyja almost physically sick with anger '-so if we're going to go down in Roman chronicles as _battling goddesses_ shall we do it properly? I'd really love to get up close and see your eyes when you die. And I just _bet_ you'd like to get your hands around my throat. So no guns, how about that?'

Freyja didn't have time to respond as Asha rushed at her. She did manage to holster her sidearm just before the other woman head-butted her full in the stomach, sending her tumbling head-over-heels backwards down the roof. Scrabbling for purchase, her fingers dug into the narrow lip between tile and column but then all she could do was hang there, helpless.

'You really are too easy, Frey,' Asha said. 'I told you, we gotta give them a _show_-' and she dragged Freyja back up by the back of her jacket, throwing her onto the main area of the roof and then striding over to kick her twice in the stomach before she could react. Winded, Freyja barely managed to roll away and stagger upright. She ducked under the first punch that Asha threw but the second she wasn't expecting and, reeling back, felt blood on her lip.

'Tch tch, you oughta do some rounds in the gym, Frey,' Asha said to her mockingly. 'Your hand-to-hand's pitiful.'

Anger drove through pain and Freyja rounded back on her, landing a roundhouse kick that knocked Asha's knees from under her. The follow-up blow to the head only made her laugh, however.

'Good god, Frey! _He_ fought harder than that!' Seeing the astonishment on Freyja's face, Asha roared with laughter. 'Never expected your famous Doctor to know how to fight, huh? Neither did I. He had a mean right hook, too. Took me clean by surprise. I tell you what else, though, even a Time Lord can't take on sixteen armed troopers all at once!'

Knowing that Asha was goading her but unable to guard her own reaction to it, Freyja threw herself bodily to knock the other woman down. She rained punches, screaming nonsensical monosyllables of fury, oblivious to the fact that not a single one was hitting home as Asha shielded her face with her arms. When Freyja subsided briefly, exhausted, Asha toppled her and proceeded to pummel her face with blow after blow. Her vision blurred red and purple as pain exploded into her awareness. Flipping her neatly over, Asha yanked her left arm up her back.

'So much for the mighty champion goddess. All ready for your fall from grace, Freyja?' She gave the arm a cruel twist and Freyja screamed. It felt good to scream, and it would cement her appearance in Asha's eyes; weak. Freyja had never felt stronger in all her life. Stars burst in front of her eyes and with a sense of odd detachment she realised that her left shoulder had been dislocated by Asha's untimely wrench on it. Considering she was very likely about to die, she wondered why she didn't feel any panic.

'As ready as you,' she growled. 'Once the Board finds out what you-'

Asha gave another bark of laughter and drove her knee into the small of Freyja's back.

'Oh, Freyja, you are so _simple_. I'm acting under _orders_ from the Board, you moron!'

_No factions_. In one crystalline burst of clarity, Freyja suddenly understood. _There are no factions…no bluecoats. The Board ordered it. The Institute isn't segmented…it's united…and I'M one of the few dissident elements left…_

'Do you _get_ it now?' Asha asked scornfully. 'You and your little gang of cronies are a minor irritation with your little Time Lord fan club. _I_ work for much higher goals, and so does the rest of the Institute. Have you honestly never wondered why it's so rare they capture a so-called bluecoat when there are supposed to be so many? It's _your_ kind they're really hunting. The Director was so _hoping_ you'd decide to join the right side…you can't imagine the disappointment on her face when I told her that wasn't going to happen.'

_You're brilliant! God, the brain on you- and this is me talking here. Oh no, don't blush, I mean it_! The Doctor's voice sounded so clear in Freyja's mind that for one bizarre moment she was sure he was somehow sitting next to her. She opened her eyes, feeling the coolness of the roof tile against her cheek where it was pressed down, and blinked in surprise. He was there…_impossibly there_…hunkered down in her line of vision with that broad, boyish grin all over his rangy face. _Cor, I wouldn't half like to get inside your head. Bet it's all neat lines and columns joining things up_.

_Am I dying_? Freyja wondered. _Is this what dying feels like_? She hadn't expected the Angel of Death to turn up looking- and sounding- like the Doctor. But there wasn't time for further reflection as Asha hefted her up and dragged her to the edge of the roof, facing the courtyard. The upturned faces of the astonished Romans below was morbidly amusing…a battle between goddesses indeed!

'You want to know one last secret, before you meet you maker?' Asha leaned in to whisper into her ear. '_He's not dead_.'

Freyja froze.

'You really think some blood smears and a laser-riddled coat count as conclusive evidence?' Asha added. 'Tut tut, little Traveller. Oh, he's alive. Boxed. Very, very safe. For as long as we need him…and he's proving _very_ useful indeed…'

'_You_-' Freyja couldn't even summon a suitable expletive, her battered body unable to do much more than sway futilely in Asha's grasp.

'So, Frey, what do you think of your great hero and idol now?' And Asha let go. For one oddly peaceful moment Freyja was weightless as light, turning through the air with nothing but inevitable silence awaiting her in the courtyard. She saw Asha's silhouette move away on the roof…escaped. Not that it mattered now. No doubt her back would break when she landed, and she'd take what she'd learned with her to her unlikely grave. But then the thought intruded.

_He's alive…_

Some instinct she didn't remember possessing or acquiring prompted her to execute an impossible twist in mid-air, slipping the sonic screwdriver out of her pocket into her right hand. Her thumb found the switch and as she fell past one of the great swathes of white silk adorning the front columns she took aim. A tear appeared and one of the supporting cords dropped. Despite her injuries she somehow found the reflexes to lunge out, and clung with all that remained of her strength to the golden-twined rope as it swung inwards. It burned her hands as she slid down it, but the drop to the floor was no longer fatal even if it jarred her bones as she let go. Lurching to her feet, she regarded the gaggle of astonished natives dispassionately for a moment and then wondered why on earth the Doctor was standing at the front, looking at her. He cocked his head meaningfully at her, looked deliberately at the nearest side alley, and then the crowd closed around him. Freyja didn't even wait, responding to the unspoken prompt by reeling in the indicated direction. Drawing on reserves of strength she'd never even known she had, she somehow made it back to the countryside, bypassing the city gates through the sewer as if on autopilot. Once she'd reached the crest of the first foothill, however, she felt her knees give and collapsed, blackness taking her.


	3. Part 3

Title: Insurrection

Author: Lady Rheena

Rating: T (some violence and non-kiddie friendly stuff)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Evidently. No money. Don't sue. Please.

Notes: I am primarily a TNS Who fan and won't try to convince anyone otherwise. Any muff-ups I therefore make with TOS continuity can just be considered part of the AU definition. The Antecedent Series was written midway through TNS season two, and begins just after the events of _Tooth and Claw_.

**Insurrection**

**Part 3**

'Fat lot of good you are!'

The sun was high in the sky when Freyja was awakened by the unlikely voice, even more vivid than it had been on the rooftop. Blearily she opened her eyes and craned her neck. The Doctor was standing in front of her, as dapper as ever in pinstripes, plimsolls and mercifully unmarked trenchcoat.

'What?' she asked, forcing the words between lips that were dry with caked on blood.

'You!' he repeated, good-naturedly chiding. 'You find out the whole secret, the big conspiracy, narrowly escape with your life and then what? Lay down and die anyway? What's the point of that?'

'You'd have preferred I just let Asha kill me?' she asked, ironic despite the pain coursing through her body.

'Well, _hardly_,' he said derisively. 'Although I was rather hoping you'd be up for rallying the troops and coming to my rescue, to be honest.'

'But how do I start?' she croaked. 'I don't even know where you _are_. Tell me!'

'Oh, I imagine you'll think of something.' He scratched idly at one ear.

'That's not helpful.'

'Nah, it isn't, is it?' Glancing at the sky for a moment, he gave a shrug. 'I should probably be offering you something more in the way of cosmic truth, I suppose.'

'Or a little tactical data.'

'Hmm. I guess I'm pretty useless then, even as crappy hallucinations go.'

Freyja squinted at him. He seemed real enough.

'Hallucination? You're…you're just in my mind?'

'Well if I was the _real_ Doctor, I really think I'd be helping you instead of standing here spouting off. Well…the way the bloke can talk I'd probably still be spouting off, but I'd be doing something at the same time rather than just leaving you lying there.'

'Ah.' Freyja gave a hoarse, mirthless laugh. 'I thought perhaps you were some other…expression of him.'

'_Oh_, you mean like some obscure telepathic cry for help.' He stuck his hands into his pockets and appeared to consider this. 'Nah, I don't think so. Firstly, there's no actual concrete evidence that Time Lords are capable of long-distance telepathic communication, and secondly, really, if the Doctor was going to send out a psychic call for help I think he'd have called Rose rather than you. No offence.'

'That's a quote from somewhere,' she accused.

'Your dissertation, most likely, since I'm in all technicality just a manifestation of your subconscious mind.' He gave a shrug. 'So I doubt I'm going to be able to offer any sterling advice since really, in plain fact, you're talking to yourself. Sorry about that. You're probably concussed, but if you can get to the ship you might be able to make it to help. Rose's apartment, for instance. Personally-' he hunkered down and lowered his voice as if conveying confidential information '-I reckon you can trust the rest of the gang. And of course Rose's loyalties are beyond all reproach.'

'That's what I think, is it?'

'Seems that way.' He straightened and grinned at her. 'So, are you going to lay here and expire or do something more constructive?'

'Die?' Freyja pulled herself along a little further, wincing with every movement. 'I've got better things to do today. Dying can wait.'

'Ah! Face of Boe, Sisterhood of Plenitude's Hospital, five billion and twenty three. Good god, you really do have a good memory for details, don't you?'

Freyja rolled onto her back and with conscious effort lifted her wrist scanner to identify which of the boulders littering the hillside was her ship. Then, turning over, she began the painstaking crawl towards it while the hallucinatory Doctor wandered along beside her, occasionally offering wry comments. As she reached the door she suddenly realised he'd been silent for a while and glanced about to find that he'd disappeared. Pity. Of all the personalities for her delusional subconscious to manifest as, he was probably the most pertinent.

She managed to heave herself into the pilot's chair and groped under the console for a stimulant spray. It took her three attempts to get the delivery mechanism onto the right spot on her arm, but she was grateful for the flood of adrenalin that surged through her system once she managed it. She'd pay for this further physical push later, but that could wait. Tapping in the activation commands for the intership beacon, she hit the first keymarked signature that appeared. Cal's face appeared on the screen.

'Freyja? Did you follow that- oh my god!' His countenance transformed from curiosity to outrage as he took in her condition. 'What the hell happened?'

'Explain later,' she managed, swallowing hard. 'Call the others. Get to Rose.'

'What _happened_, Freyja?'

'The Doctor. Asha. Get to Rose. I'll meet you…I'll meet you in London.' She killed the transmission before he could question her further and turned her attention to the navigation controls. 'Computer, activate default course alpha-two.' Good thing she'd thought to pre-program the vortex parameters for the Tylers' London apartment as an emergency location.

'_Course set_,' the computer's monotone informed her.

'Initiate lift.'

'_Lift initiated_.' A pause, and the ground rapidly vanished from beneath her. '_Safe altitude determined_.'

'Initiate…vortex…' Freyja closed her eyes against the disorientating view of the time vortex as it swirled about the cockpit window, willing herself to stay conscious until she could get to Rose. The blur solidified abruptly into the rapidly approaching aerial view of London as the ship's autopilot took over the landing procedures. As the hull settled to the pavement in front of the apartment block, she noticed the three transit vans apparently parked there with a faint smile. Cal, Will and Nat had all made it, then. Which meant she needed to make it just a little further…she managed to get to her feet and stumble to the hatchway, palming it open, but all she saw were some running figures that blurred as they moved. Someone called her name and then she toppled out into many arms that were there to catch her, blissful oblivion once more taking hold.


	4. Part 4

Title: Insurrection

Author: Lady Rheena

Rating: T (some violence and non-kiddie friendly stuff)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Evidently. No money. Don't sue. Please.

Notes: I am primarily a TNS Who fan and won't try to convince anyone otherwise. Any muff-ups I therefore make with TOS continuity can just be considered part of the AU definition. The Antecedent Series was written midway through TNS season two, and begins just after the events of _Tooth and Claw_.

**Insurrection**

**Part 4**

'Oh Rose, come quick, she's awake!'

Freyja's gaze swam slowly into focus to reveal Jackie Tyler sitting over her, concern written all over her heavily made-up face.

'Where-' she began.

'Shush, lovey, you've had a helluva time of it. Here-' a straw was put to her lips and she sucked, lukewarm liquid travelling down her throat to her grateful stomach '-bit of soup, and when you feel better I'll make you a sandwich and a nice cup of tea.'

'Ah, our battered heroine is awake.' That was a man's voice, but she didn't know it. 'How's she doing, Jackie?'

'She's still a mess, poor thing…'

'Watch out, Mum, let me talk to her. Jack, can you tell the others?' Rose. That was Rose.

'On my way,' the man said. Rose's concerned face inserted itself into Freyja's line of vision.

'Hey. How're you feeling?'

'Almost…human...'

'She all right?' asked another man's voice from the door. With a little difficulty Freyja placed it; Mickey Smith.

'I still think we should've taken her to hospital-' came Jackie's distant protest '-it's not like she's not human-'

Freyja gingerly reached up to touch her face, which was clean, and then realised her left shoulder was back in place. The fact heartened her considerably.

'How long have I been out?' she asked.

'Three days,' Rose told her. 'Jack had a…something. A regenerator thing. Sorted out most of it. We thought you were going to die.'

'Jack?'

'Yeah, Captain Jack-' she stopped and indicated the other man as he came back in. Freyja frowned slightly. Wavy black hair, blue eyes, naturally classic good looks-

'Jack Harkness,' she remembered, and managed a wan sort of smile. 'Well, what company I'm in.'

'And don't you forget it, gorgeous,' he said with a wink.

'Hardly.' She snorted. 'I must look a fright.'

'Not really. Dermal skin-sealant took care of most of it. And your friend Will thought to bring a bottle of nanogenes along with him, they took care of the internal wreckage.' A shrug. 'You should be up and about in no time.'

'Are the others still here?'

'On their way.'

'Mum threw them out,' Rose explained, a trifle sheepishly.

'I'm so sorry to impose-' Freyja began.

'Forget it. Cal said you called him, told him to get the others and come here. Why?'

'I…found out something.'

'About the Doctor?' Rose's hazel eyes pleaded for accord. 'You kept muttering in your sleep. Something about the Doctor, and Asha. What was it?'

'I need to get up-'

'As your acting field physician I wouldn't recommend that _just_ yet,' Jack said dryly.

'Tough.' Freyja levered herself upright and then glanced down in surprise. 'Whose pyjamas are these?'

'They're my spare ones,' Rose said, a trifle embarrassed.

'Who changed me?' Freyja added, shooting a glance at Jack's not-quite-a-leer.

'I did,' Jackie said firmly. 'And I didn't let him look, neither. You were in enough of a state-'

'Spoil sport,' Jack said with a grin. Freyja sighed. As the holographic Rose had once told her, there was something about Harkness. He hovered just on the edge of giving offence but somehow never quite managed to pull it off.

'Well I do need to get up,' she said. 'This is _very_ important.'

'Right.' Jackie turned businesslike. 'Then I'll put the kettle on.'

The others arrived just as the tea was made so it was rather crowded in the Tyler living room as Freyja, hands clasped around a steaming cup, carefully related her encounter with Asha. After the initial horror and barrage of insulting condemnation she held up a hand.

'There's something far more important than Asha's betrayal.'

'Like what?' Rose demanded, anger flushing her face crimson. 'What could possibly be more important than that?'

'The Doctor.' Freyja looked right at her. 'He's alive.'

'_What_?'

'I _knew_ it!' Will punched the air.

'It was all faked,' Freyja went on, keeping her attention on Rose. 'Asha popped Boz enough to keep him quiet, first. Then they tranked the Doctor, pulled off the coat, bloodied it up a bit- I daresay he donated the blood in case we thought to check, which we didn't- and peppered it with laser holes. Boz was too near dead to put together anything coherent and with Asha's prize performance they pulled it off. Foxed the lot of us.'

'But if the Doctor's alive, where the hell is he?' Jack asked. 'You said they wanted to use him for some kind of research?'

'Into his regeneration ability, yes.' Freyja shook her head. 'Asha said they boxed him- a kind of induced coma-' she added at Rose's quizzical look '-although I don't want to think about what else they're doing to him while he's like that.' Suddenly the memory of the conversation between Asha and her unknown contact resurfaced- _he stopped screaming a week ago_- and made her shudder. 'My god, we've got to get him out of there.'

'They're hurting him?' Rose demanded. 'With these…_tests_?'

'The boxing alone is…unthinkable.' Freyja couldn't go on.

'But if he's in a coma surely he doesn't know what's going on,' Mickey volunteered.

'Naw, doesn't work like that,' Jack said. 'It's _supposed_ to be only used in extreme circumstances. Critical illness, usually, where the victim is in too much pain to be allowed to continued to remain in any state of consciousness.' He grimaced. 'It effectively causes total sensory deprivation. Merciful, if it's used properly. But in a fully-functional person who's still in possession of all their faculties at the time…'

'Imagine being unable to hear, see, smell, taste or touch _anything_,' Nat said to Rose. 'Like being _inside_ darkness. No sensation of any kind. No external stimulus, nothing.'

'And then imagine being fully conscious and aware of that state,' Cal said with fury underlying his bland tone. 'It'd drive you _mad_.'

'Damn right it would. And he's been like this what…two months?' Jack looked at Freyja for confirmation. 'My god. He may be alive but it'll be a miracle if he's sane.'

'Doesn't matter,' Rose said resolutely. 'We've got to rescue him.'

'How?' Will exclaimed. 'I mean, there are dozens of lab complexes in the Institute and-'

'Induced stasis field takes a _lot_ of power,' Freyja said, having already given this due consideration. 'We get in, hack the power grids-'

'_What_?'

'Rose can do that,' Cal said quickly. 'Holographic Rose, I mean.'

'Then we just find the lab section with the highest power input and bingo.' Jack nodded. 'Sounds like a plan.'

'Right.' Rose put her cup down. 'So let's go.'

'What?' Jackie said. 'You're going to go and attack an entire place full of armed guards? The six of you?'

'Seven,' Mickey said hotly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. 'What? Okay, not like the Doctor's my favourite guy in the world but-'

'No, someone should stay here with Jackie,' Nat said. 'If we run into trouble I wouldn't put it past the Board to take hostages to use as leverage.'

'_Hostages_?' Rose echoed in dismay.

'No fear!' Mickey said dismissively. 'I'd make a crappy hostage-'

'Not you, dunderhead, _Jackie_,' Freyja said, nodding approval to Nat for the thought. 'Rose, if they told you to choose between your Mum and the Doctor-'

'I couldn't.' Rose hung her head. 'Sorry, Mum.'

Jackie snorted but stopped to boggle at Will when he pulled out his sidearm and passed it to Mickey.

'Ever shot anything before?'

'Er…not really. Some tin cans with my mate Stan's air rifle once…'

'Same principle. Laser shot. No recoil, no reload, so don't overcompensate. Follow the target, squeeze the trigger, don't pull it.'

'Fire just enough to slow 'em down and then _run_,' Cal added. 'They won't expect you to fight back. Not with a lasgun, anyways.'

'What about Rose?' Mickey asked indignantly.

'I'm going with them,' Rose said stolidly.

'Whoa-' Jack held up his hands '-Rose, there _will_ be shooting. We're talking an armed assault here, not one of those little sneakabout wars you and the Doc are good at. I'm not saying you can't handle yourself,' he added quickly when she bristled, 'But taking aim at a person and shooting…I'd rather not see you do it. And I don't think the Doctor would be happy about it either.'

'Yeah, well I don't imagine the Doctor's _happy_ about being in that stasis box having his insides burned out or god knows what,' Rose shot back with admirable speed. 'So that's not really the point, is it? I'm coming with you. That's _final_.'

'_No_!' Jackie barked, immediately up in arms. 'You are _not_ going to go into a gunfight, Rose! I absolutely _forbid_ you-'

'Mum-'

'And don't you start telling me about all the times he's saved the world or whatever. This is _completely_ different-'

'_We don't have time for this!_'

The room fell silent as Freyja stood up.

'The Doctor is trapped somewhere, being _tortured_ and rapidly losing what little grip on sanity he has left, and you're all bickering like old wives! We have to help him! So let's _get moving_ before it's too late and all we have left to rescue is a vegetable!' She planted her hands on her hips and glared at them all. 'You can sit here and squabble all week if you like, but _I'm_ going back to the Institute to find him _right fardling now_.'

There was a pause.

'Wearing Mister Men pyjamas?' Cal hazarded.

Freyja drew herself up.

'Jackie…my uniform. _Please_.'


	5. Part 5

Title: Insurrection

Author: Lady Rheena

Rating: T (some violence and non-kiddie friendly stuff)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Evidently. No money. Don't sue. Please.

Notes: I am primarily a TNS Who fan and won't try to convince anyone otherwise. Any muff-ups I therefore make with TOS continuity can just be considered part of the AU definition. The Antecedent Series was written midway through TNS season two, and begins just after the events of _Tooth and Claw_.

**Insurrection**

**Part 5**

Getting back onto the Base was a relatively simple task since Will, Nat and Cal still retained their freedom of movement by virtue of being unconfirmed 'conspirators.' Freyja concealed herself with Rose and Jack on Cal's timeship. The other three Travellers were to meet them in the museum having already explained to Rose the principle of the plan and, hopefully, confirmed the location of the lab where the Doctor was being held. If it came to firepower, Freyja and Jack were to take point while Rose sought cover.

'How big is this place?' Jack hissed to Freyja as they lay hidden behind the hatchway.

'Nine hundred floors, not including serviceways.'

'Yeesh. I hope this holo-Rose of yours can find the Doctor. Could be a _looong_ search otherwise.'

'She'll find him,' Rose said, wishing she felt as confident as she sounded. A quartet of helmeted technicians were just approaching the doorway, so as she'd been told she kept out of sight. Freyja and Jack dispatched all four with a nifty set of shoulder-chops, then guessing at approximate sizes they all changed clothes. Jack didn't drop so much as a single innuendo- positively frightening, considering- and jammed the helmet onto his head without a complaint. Rose didn't like the feel of the hard plastic that closed around most of her face, the visor dimming her vision and mouthpiece making it difficult to breathe, but it at least they wouldn't be recognised. And she would have put up with a lot more discomfort for the chance to get the Doctor back.

Luckily nobody seemed to notice that only three people left the ship where four had entered, so they made their way unhindered along a bronze-coloured passageway into some kind of lift. Freyja tapped in a command to the keypad, but the trip only took a few moments.

'So far, so good,' Rose heard her say to Jack.

'Yeah,' he shot back. '_So far_.'

A very intimidating pair of soldiers were standing in the next corridor but Rose followed Freyja and Jack's lead, not slowing her stride and appearing as confident as she could. They changed course into one of the narrow service corridors, and Freyja yanked off her helmet once she'd palmed the hatch closed behind her.

'Okay, we're in. Eyes and ears.' So saying, she dropped to her belly and proceeded to crawl, marine-style, along an even smaller section of the access way. Glad she wasn't claustro, Rose followed while Jack brought up the rear.

'How you holding up, Rose?' he asked her.

'Been better,' she admitted, and grimaced. 'Then again, been worse. At least it's not Daleks.'

'Amen to that!'

'_Quiet_,' Freyja hissed, and rapped on a plate in front of her. There was a pause and then light flooded in. For a moment Rose panicked, but then Freyja was climbing out and Will lending a hand to help them all up. Nat and Cal were standing with holo-Rose in the museum. To Rose's surprise her holographic counterpart appeared to be crying. Nat was making some attempt to comfort her, speaking in a soothing voice, but Cal looked livid.

'What's going on?' Freyja asked.

'She knows where he is,' Cal spat, 'But she won't tell us.'

'_What_?'

'She _can't_ tell us,' Nat corrected crossly. 'They put an injunction in her dialogue programming. She _wants_ to tell us, but she _can't_.'

'Fardling hologram-' Cal growled.

'Oi!' Rose snapped. 'Leave her alone, if it's not her fault!'

'Hey there,' Jack said to the hologram with a disarmingly sunny smile. 'Rose! You look…er, blue. In more ways than one.'

'We got as far as the release phrase,' Will said, indicating the partially disassembled control panel. 'Two syllables. That's all we know.'

'Two syllables?' Rose exclaimed in horror. 'But that could be _anything_!'

'Not _anything_,' Freyja corrected grimly. 'It has to be something relevant to the personality matrix, otherwise the command won't be compatible with the system.'

'Two syllables…' Rose racked her brains. '_Ty-ler? Doc-tor? _Er_…Tar-dis? Mick-ey_? _Jack-ie_?_'_

'I doubt they made it that obvious,' Jack said with a sigh. 'But good thought.'

'_I create myself_,' holo-Rose said through her sobs. '_I create myself_…'

'What?' Freyja said.

'Dunno. That's all we've been able to get out of her since we found the injunction.' Cal made a disgusted noise. 'Must be some kind of failsafe built into her dialogue generator.'

'No,' Rose said, staring at the weeping mirror image of herself. 'That's a clue. She's trying to tell us, except what they did to her won't let her _say_ it, so…' the hologram nodded frantically.

'_I create myself_!'

'I create myself…' she abruptly realised all the others were staring at her. The hologram, however, was desperately trying to say something else. 'What? What is it?'

'_I create myself. I- I scatter-_' holo-Rose had to stop, shaking her head. '_I create myself_…'

'I create myself.' Suddenly the words triggered a memory and Rose found herself reciting as if the words were written down in front of her. 'I create myself…I take the words, I scatter them in time and space. A message to lead myself here- Cal, I know what the release phrase is! How do I do it?'

'Just say it- but how can you-' he fell silent at Freyja's gesture. Rose faced the hologram squarely.

'Rose…listen to me.' She took a breath. '_Bad Wolf_.'

The hologram seemed to exhale, as though a great weight had just been lifted from her shoulders.

'_He's on level twenty-eight, lab four. Oh god, you have to get to him quick! They've got him in an iso-tank, as if boxing him wasn't enough. I've been trying to talk to him but I can't always hack into the system and they put a lock on to keep me out_-'

'But he's alive? He's all right?'

'_He's alive_.' The hologram waved her arms. '_Go! You have to get him out of there! They're killing him slowly! They're killing his mind…oh god, my poor Doctor_-' she subsided into sobs again.

'Right.' Jack hefted his sidearm. 'I'm betting this lab is locked down, right?'

'No service access,' Nat confirmed grimly.

'So we go in shooting. No problem.'

'But how do we get out?' Will asked, busily checking his own gun.

'We'll worry about that once we get in,' Freyja said. 'Rose-'

'I don't care. I'm not scared.' Which, oddly enough, was true. Rose was far too bloody furious to be afraid. Freyja gave a small nod.

'Then let's go.'

This time there was no pretence of secrecy. Rose hung with Nat in the middle of the line. Freyja and Jack were at the front with Will just behind and Cal at the back. They came across a sentry and Jack gave the unfortunate such a blow around the head with the grip of his gun that the man dropped straight to the floor, unconscious. They piled into the lift and Cal keyed in the destination, but it had only just begun to move when a blaring klaxon went off.

'Fardles.' Freyja scowled. 'I guess they found the donators of these tech uniforms where we left them.'

'It won't take them long to discover the injunction's gone from Rose,' Will added. 'They'll be expecting us.'

'Let them expect us,' Jack said, and cracked an impossible grin. 'We're the good guys, remember? Rose, once the shooting starts you find cover. Get to the Doctor if you can but stay out of the line of fire.'

'Got it.'

The corridor was ominously empty as they hastened along it. Cal did some fiddling with the keypad at the door they reached and then cursed.

'Sealed. I can't hack in.'

'Freyja, the sonic screwdriver-' Rose began.

'Good point.' Freyja dodged past Will and made some hurried adjustments to the little tool before applying it to the lock. There was a fizzing noise followed by a loud _pop_ and then the door slid aside. Jack and Cal immediately barrelled through but the room within appeared to be deserted except for a large computer terminal, a giant tank-like apparatus on a stand and-'

'The Tardis!' Rose jogged across to it and tried the door. 'It's closed. They didn't get inside.'

'Nat, Will, watch the door.' Freyja was more interested in the tank. She holstered her gun and laid one hand flat on the top surface. 'Oh my god. Cal! Get the controls! It's deadlock sealed, I can't use the screwdriver on it.'

'Is he in there?' Losing all interest in the Tardis, Rose scurried to the tank. It was completely opaque. 'Doctor?' She hammered on the exterior.

'It's encrypted,' Cal said from the terminal. 'Hold on, I'm running the release sequence. Shouldn't take a minute.'

'I'd expected more security,' Jack admitted, glancing around. 'This smells wrong. It's too easy.'

'_Damn_!' Cal gave the keyboard a thump. 'It's a triple-lock, Freyja. No way am I going to be able to crack that.'

'Fardles!' Freyja replaced her palm on the surface of the tank and lowered her voice so only Rose could hear her. 'Hang in there, Doctor. Rose, is the Tardis functioning?'

'Seems to be. Although it won't- _oh_!' She dug the key the Doctor had given her- it seemed like decades ago- out of her pocket and raced to the doors again. 'Come on, come on…' they unlocked with a _click_ and she pulled them wide. 'There's _got_ to be something in here will-' she stopped, dimly aware of a vague vibration. 'What's that?'

'The door.' Will set his jaw. 'We sealed it but they're still coming through.'

'Hang tight.' Jack barged past Rose into the Tardis and started flipping switches before positioning himself in front of the screen and tapping a few buttons. 'Atta girl…Cal, try it now!'

'My god! You broke the triple-lock! How did you-'

'Wrong. The _Tardis_ broke the triple-lock. Get him out of there!'

Rose raced back to the side of the tank as the seals popped off. Freyja yanked at the top portion and with Jack and Cal's assistance managed to get it to the floor. The Doctor sat up so quickly that Rose jumped backwards in shock.

'They _found_ it! I thought it was gone…they told me it was empty…I can't hear it…they don't talk to me…'

'What? What's he talking about?' Cal exclaimed.

'Doctor! _Doctor_!' Rose grabbed his arm but he wrestled free and buried his face in his hands, rocking violently back and forth. 'Doctor?'

'…don't talk to me…I can't hear them…they said they'd come…they shout but I can't hear…they keep screaming…they scream at me…'

'_Doctor_!' Frantic, she appealed to the others. 'What's wrong with him? What's happened?'

'He's mad.' Jack's face was bleak. 'He's completely out of his mind.'

'No. _No_! He can't be! _Doctor_! Listen to me, it's Rose, you have to snap out of it, they're coming-'

'_Can't see_!' he shouted, and clapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. 'It goes…it goes and goes and goes and goes and _chk'zalha m'i telashon'an_-' he subsided into what was either a complex alien language or total gibberish, apparently oblivious to their careful manoeuvrings to get him out of the tank. On the floor he dropped to his knees and then curled over into a ball, still rocking violently back and forth and muttering to himself.

'Oh my god.' Rose was on the verge of tears. Believing he was dead was bad enough, but _this_…

'They're coming through!' Will yelled.

'Into the Tardis!' Jack barked. 'Here, Rose, help me with him-' it took Freyja as well but they managed to half-carry, half-drag the raving Doctor into the Tardis. Nat and Will hurried in followed by Cal, who slammed the door behind him.

'Are we safe in here?'

'Nothing can get through that door if the Tardis doesn't want it to,' Jack said, propping the Doctor up against the control column. 'Hey, Doc. Wow. Talk about a total makeover-'

'He regenerated, I told you.' Rose pushed him out of the way. 'Doctor? It's me, it's Rose. Come on, you _know_ me.'

'Here, this might help.' Nat pulled something out of the backpack Rose hadn't even noticed she was carrying. 'I took it from the museum.'

'His coat! Freyja, help me put it on him-' it took a bit of wrestling but they managed it, and Freyja also put the sonic screwdriver into his hand. He didn't seem to notice it, but neither would he relinquish his grip on it once he had it. A loud thud made everyone else jump.

'What the-' Freyja exclaimed.

'Sounds like a battering ram! Or maybe flash explosives.' Will pressed an ear to the door. 'Exactly _how_ secure are these doors, Jack?'

'They'll hold,' Jack said, but he didn't sound overconfident.

'You're sure we can't just ride this ship out of here?'

'Nobody can fly it except the Doctor, and if he's non-compos-mentis then we won't get a squeak out of it.'

'So what do we do?' Rose demanded. 'Just give in? Surrender? Let them put him back in that- that _thing_?'

'Uh, people-' Cal held up a hand '-I have a question.'

'What?'

'One: was the console glowing like that when we came in? And if no then two: is it _supposed_ to do that?

'I don't think so,' Jack said, grimacing.

'Oh my god.' Rose could see the cracks of light appearing around the edge. 'Jack, it's opening!'

'By itself?'

'Looks like!' The cracks were widening and the lip of the panel, which was directly behind the curled-up, raving Doctor, was starting to lift. 'Help me move him-'

'No!' Freyja said, and grabbed Rose's arm to stop her. 'It might heal him!'

'What?'

'The Tardis is telepathic. It might be able to get inside his head and…and sort it out! Stay back!' Pulling her away, Freyja turned her head. 'Nobody look into the light! Don't even _glance_ at it! Close your eyes!'

Rose barely had time to obey when a violent blast send her reeling to the floor. Flipping onto her stomach, she buried her face in her arms and hunched her shoulders so she couldn't see a single thing. The roar of wind and vague sensation of heat on her back seemed to go on for hours before shutting off as neatly as if someone had flipped a switch. She counted to three and then scrambled to her feet just in time to see the Doctor run his hand gently along the rim of the control panel as if in benediction. Her heart leapt into her mouth.

'Doctor?'

He turned and she almost cried with relief, running to hug him tightly. It was _her_ Doctor, whole and sane, that not-quite-cocky saunter to his stance, the boyish half-smile twisting up one corner of his mouth, exuding that reassuring aura of inquisitive, unrelenting mischief that was so oddly contradictory to the ineffably aged wisdom in his sparkling hazel eyes.

'_Doctor_!' That cry was Freyja's and then they all rushed him. It was the biggest, most muddled and most enthusiastic group hug Rose had ever been lucky enough to be a part of, and she was almost disappointed when it was over.

'Hallo Freyja-' the Doctor gave her a squeeze before turning to the others '-Cal, Will, Nat…' his gaze turned incredulous '…_Jack_?'

'Hi there, handsome!' Jack was as dapper as ever and gave the Doctor a frankly evaluating look up and down. '_Love_ the new body. Nice lines. Not as much muscle…but more than a little foxy.'

Rose burst out laughing at this but the Doctor was imperturbable.

'_Jack_! How the devil did you get here?'

'I got your message, big guy! On my psychic paper.' He pulled out the slip and brandished it. 'First we-' indicating Rose '-figured you might have sent it before you got 'killed' but I guess you must've found a way to smuggle it out in captivity-'

'I didn't send that!' The Doctor snatched the paper off him and gave it a long, hard look. 'No, definitely. Looks like me. But even if I'd thought of it there's no way I could have sent that.'

'_Another_ mystery?' Rose asked.

'I'll add it to the list,' he said grimly as Jack pocketed the slip again. 'There's a _lot_ of unexplained stuff going on around here.' Another _thud_ against the Tardis door made everyone else jump but he remained unmoved. 'Don't worry, they can't get in here. Now, someone update me. How long's it been?'

'Two months,' Rose supplied. He stared at her.

'Two…no. It must have been longer. It-' a look of such pain flitted across his face that she wanted to hug him again, but it passed as quickly as it had appeared. 'All right. Two months. What's happened and, more importantly, has anyone managed to find Asha?'

Freyja took up the narrative. He listened intently, stopping her only once to ask for elaboration, and then nodded.

'Right. So the first thing we need to do is get to the mainframe and wipe it clean of every scrap of data they managed to extract from me.'

'That could be a problem,' Will said, gesturing to the door. 'It's the seven of us against pretty much the entire Institute.'

'Not quite.' Jack had been fiddling at the console. 'Here, I found the internal security communications system.' He tapped a button and voices flooded the Tardis cockpit. 'I think holo-Rose did a little shouting while we were up here. She must have known who to contact, unless she just did some kind of general broadcast. Most of the Institute may be on the Board's side, but there's a good couple of hundred people out there making noise.'

'Shots fired?' Will asked.

'Sounds like it.'

'Oh, _god_.' The Doctor sank onto the chair and buried his face in his hands. 'What have we _done_?'

'What?' Rose asked him. 'What is it?'

'Civil war. By far and away the worst kind there is. A _temporal_ civil war,' His gaze turned cold. 'A Time War. _Another_ Time War.'

'Got a transmission coming through-' Jack warned '-general broadcast, all frequencies.' A single voice this time, male and gritty with anger, flooded the room.

'_This is a broadcast from the Loyalist forces to the Institute. We will not surrender. Repeat, we will not surrender. You have lied to us, manipulated us and mislead us in your plans for the future of our species, but our blind obedience stops here_! _You may take us to the last man-_'

'Shut it off,' the Doctor muttered. Jack sighed and did so.

'Loyalists?' Rose echoed, wrinkling her nose. 'Surely if they're the rebels they should be the…I dunno, the Glorious Revolutionaries or something.'

'It's not loyalty to the Institute they're talking about,' Freyja said in an oddly tight voice.

'Then loyalty to what?' Rose asked her. Freyja took a breath and looked at the Doctor.

'Him.'

He looked up sharply.

'_What_ did you say?'

'It's _you_, Doctor. We all grew up learning about you. You're the reason most of us entered the Academy!'

'I'm _not_ a figurehead,' he snapped, standing up and rounding on her. 'I never wanted to be, and I never _meant_ to be!' To Rose's lasting astonishment, because when angry he lost all his boyishness to become a frighteningly daunting figure who was every inch the Lord of Time, Freyja held her ground and tilted her chin up. She didn't seem at all intimidated either by his transformed demeanour or the more practical consideration that he was a full head taller than her.

'You may not want to be, _Doctor_, but you are. There's a couple of hundred people out there fighting the Institute in _your_ _name_.'

'Then they're wrong,' he snarled. 'And _I'm_ wrong. And you should have left me to rot in that casket-'

'No-' Rose began to protest, but was cut off by Freyja's far louder- and angrier- retort.

'And let them tear you apart? Discover the secret of eternal youth? They'd bring a new meaning to tyranny in the universe, and you know it!'

'Oh believe me-' the Doctor's voice became dangerously soft '-it'd be a lot better than the alternative. _Killing_ in _my name_-'

'You honestly have _no idea_, do you?' she snapped. 'You have _no idea_ what you _are_ to us!'

'An excuse? That's all the human race has ever really needed to start killing each other!'

'You _made us_! We began as nothing! _Nothing_! We were just flesh! _Meat_, grown in a tank! But you freed us and you healed us and you _made_ us, Doctor, you as good as _created _us!' He opened his mouth but she didn't give him a chance to respond. 'We may have interbred with the others, and diversified, and evolved, but we still remember our origins. It's the first thing any of us learn! _You_ are the first thing any of our children are taught!'

The Doctor's jaw dropped, the rage draining smoothly away from his face, but before Rose could question it he murmured,

'New Earth.'

Freyja folded her arms.

'_New Earth_,' the Doctor echoed, suddenly becoming animated. 'You- you're the new subspecies! My _god_…the Sisterhood of Plenitude grew you and I let you out and now…' he looked her up and down in open amazement '…_look_ at you! You're the evolutionary peak of your species!'

'Oh my god,' Rose exclaimed. 'You mean those…those people in the hospital? With all the diseases?'

'Yes!' The Doctor clapped his hands and gave a bark of laughter. 'They existed to be sick! They were _lab rats_, and _now_-' he suddenly swept Freyja up and spun her around '-_ha_! Look at them, Rose! Just _look at them_! Because of us!'

'Because of you,' she corrected, a trifle sourly. 'I was a bit too busy being possessed by Cassandra to do much.'

'_Me_!' He seemed perfectly happy with the amendment. 'Because of _me_!' Turning to the others, he hugged them each in turn. 'Just look at you lot! And _you_-' turning to Freyja again and wagging a finger meaningfully at her '-how _amazing_ are you? Figured it all out and-' then he stopped, a frown crossing his face. She took half a step back.

'Doctor?'

'You. There's something about you.' He ran his fingers impatiently through his hair. '_God_, how did I miss it before?'

'What?' Rose asked him. 'What do you mean?'

He ignored her, still intent on Freyja.

'Feels almost like…like I've met you before…'

'Anti-gravity Olympics?' she hazarded.

'No, not that. Like I met you…before I met you…'

'Hey, Doc!' Jack's call broke the spell. 'We got an incoming transmission. Aimed right at us.' He tapped a button and a woman's voice came over the speakers.

'_This is the Director of the Institute to the rebel personnel within the Tardis machine. Surrender immediately and your lives will be spared_.'

'Tell her to get bent,' Cal said, but before Jack could respond to that the Doctor had strode to the doors and flung them wide. There was a brief scuffle as everyone else tried to get in front of him, but he slipped neatly through. Rose managed to find her way to stand at his right shoulder and saw Freyja flank his left, the others spreading out on either side with sidearms at the ready. Confronting them in the lab were about twenty fully armed and kitted out soldiers all with heavy assault rifles aimed at them. Standing at the front was a tall, elegant middle-aged woman with auburn hair pulled into a tight bun on top of her head, and next to her…

'_Asha_,' Rose hissed, wanting to claw the traitor's eyeballs out with her bare hands.

'Well well,' the Doctor said, sticking his hands into his coat pockets. 'This is a reception and a half. Although I must say, your guest accommodation could use some work.' He was very pointedly _not_ looking at the dismantled tank that had been his prison.

'I have a proposal for you, Doctor,' the woman, whom Rose assumed was the Director, said coolly.

'Oh, really?'

'Surrender,' she snapped. 'We have imprisoned all the rest of these so-called _Loyalists_-' her tone made the title an insult '-so any ideas you had about building up a little private army can end here and now.'

'Well whatever you were taught about me, you were taught wrong, unless you just failed to learn,' he replied mildly. 'Because if you knew _anything_ about me at all you'd know that a private army isn't on even the very bottom of my wish list.'

'And what is?' she asked sardonically. 'Universal peace and harmony?'

'Well, that'd be nice for starters.' Suddenly he whipped out the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at her. 'Eradicating tyrants, however, is a tad more realistic a goal.'

'If you do not surrender,' she replied, unaffected by the threat, 'We will execute each and every one of your loyal _disciples_. Starting with Rose Tyler.'

'If you even _touch her_-' Jack began heatedly, hefting up the rifle he'd somehow appropriated.

'Do you know how many rebels we've incarcerated, Doctor?' the Director went on, unmoved. 'Three hundred and forty-nine. Not including your immediate companions, of course. Do you want those three hundred and forty-nine lives on your conscience? Their blood on your hands? As I believe a particularly noted _tyrant_ once put it to you, are you a killer…or a coward?'

Rose didn't have a clue what the woman was harping on about it but she felt the tension in the Doctor and sensed the subtle shift in his stance. That had hit a nerve, whatever it meant.

'Surrender and assist voluntarily in our regeneration research, and you will be treated with appropriate deference for the last of your great people,' the Director went on. 'Refuse, and after we have eradicated your associates I will personally supervise your deconstruction cell by cell. And believe me, _Doctor_, you will be fully conscious and aware of the process as it occurs.' She glanced to one side. 'Asha, a demonstration of our sincerity if you would be so good.'

'God, I've been _waiting_ to do this.' Asha took a single step forwards and raised a gun. It took Rose several heartbeats to realise that the barrel was aimed straight at _her_. She was dimly aware of Jack shouting, of a single _pip-pip_ as the shot went off, of the Doctor moving-

'_NO_!' she screamed as he toppled in front of her. '_DOCTOR! NO!_' Dropping to her knees, she turned him over and cradled his head in her lap, horrified. There was some more shouting and a minor explosion, and then Freyja was grabbing at her.

'Rose!'

'I'm all right,' she mumbled. The Doctor suddenly opened his eyes and gave her a quizzical upside-down look that under any other circumstances would have been hilarious.

'Ow,' he said. 'That _hurt_.'

'Right in the heart,' Jack muttered, taking off his jacket and pressing down on the wound. 'And don't tell me you've got a spare, Doc. You need both!'

'Yeah, I know that. But still…_ow_.' He wrinkled his nose. 'Oh, _bother_. I'm going to have to regenerate again in a minute. I was just getting used to this body, too. And where's your mum with a cup of tea when we need her, eh?' His face contorted then, in pain. '_Owww…_you'd better get back, Rose.'

'Get a stasis pod!' The Director's shout stood out plainly against the bustle in the background. 'If we can freeze him mid-cycle we can access the trigger mechanism. Do it!'

'Oh no-' the Doctor reached out, groping blindly '-Jack?'

'I'm here, buddy.'

'Listen to me. Listen very carefully. I want you to take that big, nasty-looking gun of yours-'

'Got it right here.'

'-and put it to my head, between my eyes for preference, and-'

'No!' Rose and Jack said simultaneously.

'Doc, I am _not_ going to _shoot_ you!' he protested.

'If they freeze me there's a chance they'll work out how I do it! I _can't_ let that happen!' The Doctor winced. 'They're not _ready_, Jack. Rose, they're not _ready_- Freyja! Freyja, you do it if he won't! God, someone has to!'

'There must be another way,' Rose protested, crying now. 'We can't kill you! We can't! Doctor, _think_ of something!' She appealed to the others. 'Jack? Freyja? Cal? _Someone_!'

'No,' Freyja said, and stood up. Rose threw her arms over the Doctor despite his efforts to brush her off.

'No! Freyja, you _can't_!'

'Rose, get out of the way! She _has_ to-'

'_No_.'

Freyja's second denial seemed to hang in the air like a solid object, ringing out across the suddenly silent room even though she'd spoken only in a murmur. Rose looked up, puzzled. Freyja seemed to be strangely distinct from her surroundings, as if she was somehow more real than reality itself. A faint haze outlined her. The figures of the hurrying soldiers in the background blurred, slowing…then began to move _backwards_.

'What the-' Rose began, but then she felt her own muscles shifting and aligning without her having a say in it. She was standing, moving backwards, and in front of her the Doctor was…not getting up, exactly, because that implied a conscious motion. It was more as if he was falling in reverse, like a tape being rewound with the image still on the screen. He was upright, stepping back, his coat falling around him to its usual loose folds, and then…and then, impossibly, she saw the slim streak of the energy bolt that had impacted his chest moving in reverse towards Asha's raised gun, like a shard of coloured glass in the air. Freyja was the only person apparently able to control herself, her movements oddly detached from the slow-motion reversal around her, and she strode forwards to examine the bolt with a curious air, then looked up and right at Rose herself. Her eyes had a strange, pearly sheen to them.

'No,' she said once more, and lifted her hand. The bolt fell out of the air, knocked casually aside, and shattered on the ground like the glass it resembled. Abruptly everything sped back up, turning chaotic. Rose saw Asha drop her gun and stare at it in amazement. Jack whirled and fired his rifle at the iso-tank, blasting it into so many smoking pieces. Cal and the others were firing at the soldiers, but Rose had eyes only for Freyja, still surrounded by that unearthly haze of yellowish light. Nor was she the only one.

'Doctor?' Rose asked, but before he could reply Freyja suddenly gave a scream and toppled. There was a blinding flash that took several long moments to clear from Rose's vision. Blinking rapidly, she recovered in time to see the Doctor yank off his coat and fling it over Freyja where she'd collapsed…dead?

'Stop!' he yelled, whirling to Jack and the others. 'Stop! Hold your fire!'

'What the _hell_-' the Director began.

'Me! It was me! Time Lord- er- thing.' Rising, he held up his hands. 'We surrender. Don't hurt anyone. We submit. Jack, put the gun _down_. That goes for all of you. Go on, drop them.'

Reluctantly, and with no small level of bewilderment, they all did. Rose risked a step forward.

'Doctor, what are you _doing_?'

'It'll take them a while to rebuild that tank,' he whispered. 'Score one for Captain Jack.'

'But when they do they'll put you back in it!'

'I don't matter. Not any more. Not now…' his eyes flicked to Freyja, fully covered with his jacket so Rose couldn't even see her face.

'Take them to a cell,' the Director spat. 'And don't harm them. I want everyone in this room interrogated, and memory imprints taken of…whatever _that_ was.'

A soldier started towards Freyja but the Doctor waved him off, crouching to scoop her up, coat and all.

'It's all right,' he said, giving the others a meaningful look. 'We're your prisoners. We won't resist.'

'What are you _doing_?' Rose hissed as they were herded towards the door by gestures with vicious-looking pistols and rifles.

'Saving the world, the usual.' He glanced at her and, to her complete astonishment, gave a wolfish grin. 'And, in the process, changing the fate of the universe.'

Somewhere in ancient Rome the priests chanted praises to the inner light of the victorious goddess who had fallen from the Temple roof.

Somewhere on the Institute Base three hundred and forty-nine men and women passed word between them that the greatest Traveller of all had returned.

Somewhere on a world believed lost forever a darkened pedestal began to glow, and the ground beneath it trembled.

And somewhere adrift in the currents of time an unexpected spark blossomed, grew, and turned towards home.

To Be Continued


End file.
